This tasty vegan Pad Thai is ready in just 15 minutes! It's full of flavour and fresh veggies with a little chilli kick and crunchy peanuts. Made with rice noodles, it's also gluten free.
Vegan Pad Thai
I love quick and easy midweek meals that are not only tasty, but full of vegetables.
I've been making versions of this quick vegan Pad Thai for years and it's a go-to on my weekly meal plan of vegan dishes (usually alongside African Vegan Peanut Stew, Spanish Beans and Red Lentil Dahl).
I love how the garlic, ginger and chilli work so well against the soft rice noodles and lightly cooked vegetables.
This dish is endlessly customisable, so it's a great way to use up vegetables and reduce food waste. You can stick to Asian veggies or just use up what you have in the fridge!
To me, as long as you have the base of rice noodles tossed with ginger, garlic and chilli topped with peanuts then you have a pad Thai - the rest can be flexible.
These Asian noodles are a great quick street food that you can so easily make at home in just 15 minutes!
If you're looking for other vegan Asian dishes, then be sure to try my Vegan Crispy Duck with fresh plum sauce and easy pancakes. It uses cauliflower cooked in Chinese five-spice to replicate the duck.
Quick Asian Noodles
This is a meal that we make for dinner a few times a month. It's so quick and easy - especially if you use pre-chopped garlic and ginger! I keep a stash of those in the freezer for super fast meals. Sure, chopping them isn't difficult, but sometimes I just want an easier life! If you buy fresh ginger root and don't think you're going to use it up in time, then just chop it and store it in a container in the fridge to use in the future.
You could make this with wheat noodles, but I really love the opaque wide rice noodles. Not only do they make it gluten free, but also give such a nice dense texture to these Asian noodles.
Make it a heartier meal with a Thai Omelet on the side!
How to make easy vegan pad Thai
This recipe is super simple. Just soak the noodles for a few minutes while you heat the oil and cook the garlic, ginger and chilli in a hot wok for a minute. Add the cooked, drained and rinsed noodles to the wok, along with the vegetables. Stir fry for a few minutes then serve topped with the peanuts, parsley, lime juice and sesame seeds!
You will need:
Garlic
Ginger
Chilli flakes
Wide rice noodles
Vegetables (I used carrots, spring onions/scallions, baby corn, but you could also use red peppers, pak choi, beans, broccoli or any others!)
Soy sauce (or tamari for gluten free)
Rice wine vinegar
To serve: peanuts, parsley, sesame seeds, lime and chilli oil (all optional but they make it extra delicious)
Get the recipe
If you make this Pad Thai, please tag it with #veggiedesserts on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook. I LOVE seeing your recreations of my recipes!
Also, pop down to the comment and let me know how you got on with the recipe. It’s always great to hear from my readers. Your support allows me write this UK food blog and bring you vegetable cakes as well as vegan desserts, plus savoury vegetarian and vegan recipes and breakfasts and drinks.

Easy Vegan Pad Thai
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 garlic clove crushed
- ¼ teaspoon ginger peeled and grated
- ¼ teaspoon dried chilli flakes
- 150 g wide rice noodles
- 2 spring onions (scallions) thinly sliced (plus extra for garnish)
- 2 carrots spiralized or julienned
- 4 baby corn halved
- 2 tablespoon soy sauce or tamari if gluten free
- 2 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
To serve
- Handful peanuts roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoon white or black sesame seeds
- Fresh lime juice
- Chilli oil to taste
- Chopped parsley
Instructions
- Boil a kettle and then soak the noodles according to package instructions (approx 3 minutes). Drain, run under cold water, drain again.
- Meanwhile, heat the oil in a wok or large frying pan, then add the garlic, ginger and chilli and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add the cooked rice noodles, spring onions, carrots, soy sauce and vinegar and cook over a medium/hot heat, stirring often, for 3 minutes.
- Serve warm, topped with the peanuts, sesame seeds, chilli oil (to taste) and a good squeeze of lime.
Nutrition
The nutritional information provided is approximate and can vary depending on several factors, so is not guaranteed to be accurate. Please see a registered dietician for special diet advice.
Natalie
This pad thai looks simply delicious! I love how easy it is to make it - definitely a great idea for a quick lunch or dinner. I plan on trying it, but will add some tofu too, which I think will make it a little more filling for me. Thanks for the recipe!
Sarah
Ready in 15 minutes? SOLD! Talk about a perfect weeknight dinner! Absolutely loving the flavors too, sounds delicious!
Lea Ann (Cooking On The Ranch)
My commitment for 2018 is to make an Asian dish once per week. Years and years ago, I made a pad Thai that took at least an hour. Love this recipe for 15 minutes! I'm adding this one to the list.
Deanna
Mmmm this looks so delish!! I love to make this for my lunch!
Bintu | Recipes From A Pantry
I love Pad Thai - this looks delicious! Love that it has a chilli kick and is gluten free too!